What does an Intensivist do?

An intensivist is a doctor who provides care to patients who require intensive care. Intensive care is characterized by close monitoring and support for critically ill patients. In addition to board certified intensivists, the medical profession also supports nurses who specialize in intensive care, along with paramedics who have completed training in this area of medicine. All of these professionals have been thoroughly trained in providing services to critically ill patients.

This area of medicine is known as intensive or critical care medicine, and an intensivist may also be referred to as a critical care specialist. Certification requirements vary by nation. In the United States, people who receive training in internal medicine, general surgery, anesthesiology, or pediatrics can become board certified intensivists with the right training. Emergency physicians may opt to take a critical care fellowship which allows them to earn certification.

The work of an intensivist takes place in the intensive care unit (ICU) or critical care unit (CCU) of a hospital. Intensivists may also be involved in the evaluation of patients to determine whether or not they are candidates for the ICU. Patients must have conditions which are treatable to be accepted into the ICU; an intensivist may believe that the patient is better served by hospice or other supportive care if there is no reasonable chance of recovery.

In the ICU, an intensivist works to keep the patient alive. This includes supporting the organ systems of the patients with measures which can include dialysis to help failing kidneys, mechanical ventilation for patients who cannot breathe on their own, and the implantation of a pacemaker or pacing wires for a patient with heart problems. The intensivist sustains life and helps the patient fight the condition which landed her or him in the ICU, with the goal of helping the patient recover.

The best success rates in intensive care happen in facilities which have a high concentration of staff per patient, including doctors, nurses, and other support staff. Intensive care requires very high levels of attentiveness and monitoring to keep patients stable and intervene when problems develop. This includes overnight care, and intensivists may be called when they are not on duty to address problems with specific patients, help to process an admission, or offer other forms of support.

Intensivist salaries vary, depending on years of experience and training and where the physician works. Before taking a position in this medical specialty, it can be wise to look up prevailing rates of pay for physicians in the area, and to look at rates of pay for physicians in comparable positions located in comparable areas.